Improvement in devices for cutting railroad-rails



J. M. PETERSON. Device for CuttingRailroad-Rails.

' Nb. 211400. Pat'entedluly s,1s79.

WITNESSES 6 id m'o/z/ 773; ToRi/ 'QQMW BY 3) ya ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT! OFFICE.

JOHN M. PETERSON, OF MIGHIGAMME, MICHIGAN.

IMPROVEMENT IN DEVICES; FOR CUTTING RAILROAD-RAILS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 217.400, dated July 8,1879; application filed .November 26, 1878.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN M. PETERSON, of Michigamme, in the county ofMarquette and State of Michigan, have invented a new and together at oneend and the opposite free ends adapted to receive cutters, which areapplied to opposite sides of the rail and forced against the same by aratchet-lever screwing a nut upon a shaft joining the ends of the arms,whereby the knives or cutters are caused to cut through the rail fromside to side.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure1 is a view of my improved device for cutting railroadrails. Fig. 2 isan end view ot the same, showing the operating mechanism. Fig. 3represents the arms of the device provided with an attachment fordrilling the rails. Fig. ,4 is an end view of the drill-operatingmechanism. Fig. 5 is a top view of the knives in place.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, A B are two arms, pivoted at a. On thesearms, on each side, are bosses b, with holes, in which bosses are placedhorizontal shafts 0, each having on one end a head, a, and on theopposite end a screw-thread, engaging a nut, 01, which bears against theside of arm B. A projection, c, of the nut is ratcheted. 1

D represents a collar connected with a stock orfhandle, which is placedover the nut. On this collar is pivoted the double pawl g, kept in placeto give reverse motion to the nut bythe spring-guard h, socketed in thehandle f.

Below shafts G is fixed to the inside of each arm a knife, E, oneopposite the other, but the faces arranged so that they will pass eachother like the blades of shears, as clearly ShOWll in Fig. 5.

The operation of my invention is as follows: The arms A B are placed oneon each side of the rail R to be cut, with the knives in contacttherewith, as shown in Fig. 1.

By means of the ratchet and pawl the nut d is screwed up against arm B,thus drawing the two arms toward each other by their shaftconnections,and forcing the knives into the rail.

The ratchet is applied to the two nuts alternajely and at shortintervals, so asto keep the two sides even, and the operation is kept upuntil the rail is cut throng In Figs. 3 and 4 I have shown an attachmentapplied to the arms by means of which the machine may be adapted to thedrilling of holes, the knives being, of course, removed when thedrilling mechanism is attached.

In the end of arm A is placed a shaft, h, the inner end of which isenlarged and provid-ed with a socket to receive the butt of the drill 6,while the outer end is fixed to the pin ionj, which gears with thespur-wheel lejoun naled on a stud projecting from the arm A and operatedby a crank, Z. By means of this "crankand gearing the drill is turned.

. To operate it to drill the holes in the rails, the arms are put overthe rail R, with the drill incontact with the web at the proper place.By means of the ratchet and nut the arms are brought together, sothatthe rail will be clasped between the end of the drill and theopposite arm, as'shown in Fig. 3. The

work of drilling the hole then proceeds, and as the drill cuts its wayinto the rail it is fed up to its work by screwing up the arms, and thisis continued until the rail is perforated.

Either the cutter or drill may be applied while the rails are on thetrack, there being no necessity for raising them out of their places,and thus it will be seen a very convenient and efiective device isfurnished that can be used at any time and by one man, thus obviatingthe necessity of taking up and replacing rails for the purpose ofcutting and drilling them. i

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- As an improvement in devices for cfittingiailroad-rails, the arms A B, pivoted together and connected byhorizontal shafts 0, nuts 01, operated by pawl g, engaging; ratchet e,in combination with the knives E, fixed to the arms, whereby thescrewing up of the nuts 1 by the ratchet and pawl brings the arms to-.when applied thereto, substantially as described.

JOHN M. PETERSON. Witnesses:

AUGUST 0. 000K, CARL J. HANSON.

